Air Force charged to a 2-0 lead before falling, 4-2, at Army West Point on Friday night.
Some notable things about the game:
Strong start
The Falcons made a strong opening statement, seizing a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Phil Boje and Erik Baskin. They outshot the Black Knights, 10-4, in the first and by a combined 20-9 in the first two periods. Boje’s goal was his third of the season, tying him with Ben Kucera for the team lead, and it gave him a team-high seven points. Boje kept an Army clearing attempt in the zone and fired the puck on net. Baskin’s goal, off a nice feed in the slot from Evan Feno, who had taken a pass from Evan Giesler, was his first of the season.
Ill-timed fade
Army took over the game in the third period, scoring three times to erase its 2-1 deficit at the second intermission. The Black Knights tied it just 49 seconds into the third, took the lead for good slightly more than halfway through and finished it off with an empty-net goal with 55 seconds to go. In the process they outshot the Falcons, 11-6.
“We were terrific in the first period, even the first half of the game, but then we quit playing,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore told AM 1300. “The first half of the game was all about us and the second half was all about them. They just keep coming at you and, if you quit swinging, they will take advantage. When you have a 2-0 lead after one and a 2-1 lead after two, you have to find a way to win the game, not find a way to lose the game. That has to change.”
By the numbers
Despite the loss there were some encouraging signs from the Falcons. They outpaced the Black Knights in shot attempts (46-35) and shots on goal (26-20). Air Force also was strong in the circle, winning 37 of 66 face-offs (56 percent). And the Falcons were disciplined, taking just four penalties. However, Army took just three, less than a third of what they had been averaging. … Junior co-captain Dylan Abood made his season debut after missing the first six games because of an upper-body injury. … The teams play again Saturday at 6 p.m. MDT.
